"A Daemon?"
"Yes. We are a bit different from everyone else. Our power doesn't derive from the angels or demons, we earn our own strength, and have the potential to surpass them."
"I see. So angels and demons, they are real then. The mural on the cave walls..."
"The history of this world. It depicts a war that last for centuries."
An image flashed in his head of the three statues, of them walking past them as if they were mere livestock. Then the image of the emblem on the sword and shield.
"If the angels and demons faught one another for so long, why the alliance. What could cause them to throw away all their differences?"
"During the war there was a group hiding amongst the ranks of both sides. The group consisted of both angels, demons and a few daemons.
Back then daemons were few, but they were very valuable assets even with their violent nature and need for strength. But that's what made them valuable during the war.
Both sides had a few allied with them, using them to tip the scales in their favor. But unbeknownst to them, they would be the very reason they'd lose."
He looked at her soaking in as much information as he could. He stared intently, as she seemed to drift into thought.
"Most of the daemons that joined the war were apart of the mystery group, and their goal at the time, conquer and control.
Admist the fighting they turned on their allies, slaughtering all that opposed. The war ended with the last angel dead at the feet of their leader."
He looked down at the ground, internally thanking her for this information. To him it was very valuable, it showed the history of this strange world, and possibly held some of his own world. But it still invited new questions to his mind.
"What are daemons exactly, what makes us so different from the angels and demons?"
She placed her finger to her chin, trying to find the words to explain it.
"Daemons are... were... humans given strength beyond their comprehension by an unknown god. This god in question appeared out of the seemingly endless abyss in the center of the universe.
It saught an end of the violence between the two opposing sides, so it created something that could rid the world of them completely. It created humans, taught them many things nurtured them, till the time was right. Then it chose the few it deemed worthy to carry out its goal, thus creating daemons. And disappearing back into the abyss.
Demi gods born from human desire, filled with so many emotions. The angels and demons were indifferent to such emotions, only desiring peace or war.
The interference of the being then brought upon the existence of god like beings, taking control over all things living and dead. In the end the angels and demons saught to get rid of them entirely, thus splitting reality in half. Creating the Mortal and Divine realms, and sealing away their power in the book."
He tried his hardest to soak everything in. He realized now that he must've been in the divine realm now. And if the two places were in fact related in some way, there must've been a way to get back in his own body.
He was intrigued by the information presented to him, granted it was way more than what he'd bargained for, but he enjoyed it none the less.
"What happened to their leader, all this time and they didn't go searching for the book."
She looked away from him. She closed her eyes and listened to the flowing of the waterfall. Taking the moment in, she spoke.
"You met him... In the cave. The man from the cave, whom you set free. That is their leader, and he is neither angel nor demon. Neither is he a daemon, like you and I. He is something else entirely, the first of his kind."
He stared at her intently, hanging onto her every word.
"He is a..."
Looking up at him, her eyes widened. Where he once sat, there was nothing but leaves from the tree above. She stood and looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Just as she was about to speak he was forcefully dragged away, appearing in the soul realm. There infront of him stood a young woman, with long black hair, and beautiful brown eyes. She wore dark clothing, yet her body seemed somewhat translucent, slowly materializing before him .
He looked around trying to figure out where he had gone, but the only thing he could see was darkness... and her.
He was hesitant with his decisions on what to do next. The first thing that came to mind were the events following the sword and shields. Meeting the wraiths, the white and gold duo. What if this was like that, but it felt different somehow.
Regardless of the situation this time he was ready, and knew what to possibly expect. So he readied himself for whatever was to come.
For a moment all of the many deaths he'd endured, against the wraith, the duo, and even the many times he died in his dreams. Then the moment on the stairs in the cave. The image of Ashley's smile appeared as the trigger was pulled.
The light in his eyes slowly started to fade, and was replaced by a deep darkness.
'I'm done waiting to die, from now on I make the first move.'
Before the woman could take a step, he dashed at her. With the gap between them closing fast, she remained in place watching him. The moment he got close, he swung out his fist; aiming for her head. She turned sides avoiding his attack completely.
The next moment, her eyes turned completely black. A white mask formed itself on the bottom of her face. The mask itself was carved to match that of a dragon, with its sharp fangs protruding from the sides of its mouth.
He stopped himself a little behind her, then swung his leg back with as much force as he could. His speed was impressive but to her, it seemed like slow motion.
She bent backwards, watching as the leg passed over her. Dropping his leg he used the momentum to throw the other, not giving her time to readjust. She touched her hands to the floor, then lifting her own legs, she met his strike.
She stared up at him, from a hand stand position. Her expression unchanged, he stared back in awe at her technique and fighting style.
Pulling back he took a few steps back trying to readjust himself. He watched as she pushed off her hands landing back on her feet.
She tilted her head watching him, gauging his strength. He could feel her gaze, it felt as if a hundred eyes were watching his every move.
He lowered himself into a fighting stance, she followed mimicking him. He smirked then pushed off meeting her in the middle. Throwing out a punch, she matched his. The strike shared the same amount of force.
Twisting his hand he tried grabbing onto her fist, but she had already done the same. Locking hands they pushed at one another, neither giving way.
Shifting his weight he used her force as his own, pulling her in towards him. He raised his knee towards her abdomen, using both of their strength to his advantage. But she saw through it, just like the times before. Instead she accepted the pull as her own, jumping over him. With their hands still locked she held herself above him, then shifted her weight, falling back down and slamming both feet into his chest.
She pushed off him, landing perfectly on her feet, while he was sent stumbling back. Catching himself, he placed his hand on his chest. The force caused his heart to skip a beat, and now he was in immense pain.
He knelt down to one knee, grasping for air. The more air he took in the worse it felt. He looked up at her through squinted eyes, trying his hardest to remain conscious.
Her pitch black eyes started to emit a dark light as she looked at him. Looking at them he could feel his mind being filled with dark thoughts until he could see nothing but black.
He slowly stood up, his face twisted into anger. Looking at her he bore his teeth, and his eyes slowly became pools of darkness. The same as hers.